Our Quito Quest!: Transfers, Carnival, and a Diagnosis.

Transfer week is always a busy week in the mission and in the mission office. This week we said "Good-bye" to 13 departing missionaries and we welcomed 9 new missionaries. The departing missionaries are excited and nervous about returning to their homes. The arriving missionaries are excited and nervous to be in the mission and to start using all that they have been taught in the MTC.

When the missionaries depart, I prepare 2 packets for their departure. One packet contains a booklet with a certificate of service; letters from the mission president for their family, bishop, and stake president; their transfer history; and talks from general authorities about staying faithful to the gospel. The other packet includes their travel itinerary, baggage guidelines, passport, immunization record, visa information, health records, and other information from their file.

It is interesting to see what has accumulated in their files over the 18 or 24 months of their service. For some missionaries they have all kinds of paperwork, from visa renewals to medical records. For other missionaries, the only thing in their file is a personal profile that was copied from the Church's IMOS system and placed in the file when they received their call. It appears that these missionaries have required little or no attention - serving faithfully day by day for 548 or 730 days. It's remarkable!

Once things settled down after transfers, we decided to do some cleaning. However, we got a little distracted when we found a stack of unused Christmas cards. Making and flying paper airplanes gave us a brief reprieve from the activities of the week.

Elder Lewis, Elder Tolman & Elder Wright - guilty as charged!

Prototypes for future airline contractors:)!

This week is Carnival week. "Sadly, Carnival in Ecuador has been known to be quite savage. Living it up has come to mean dousing your neighbors, family, friends and any other passerby with every liquid imaginable. From water to car oil to the unthinkable. The water is sometimes topped off with flour to make you a really sticky mess." https://www.life-in-ecuador.com/carnival-in-ecuador.html So for missionaries that means "STAY INSIDE AND STAY SAFE." For the next 3 days, missionaries in the Ecuador Quito Mission are apartment bound!

Today, Elder Lewis and I had a taste of Carnival activities on our walk home from Church. We were waiting for traffic to pass and for the light to change at the intersection of the main road (6 de deciembre) near our apartment, when a lone white car came through the intersection. Traffic moves really fast on that road, and as the car approached us Elder Lewis saw a passenger lean out of the window with a water gun. He instinctively ducked, but not quick enough. We were both hit or should I say sprinkled with water. At least we think it was water! It was colorless and odorless. It was definitely a surprise!

I told Elder Lewis that maybe it was payback for those times as young teen-agers that we executed a few "Halloween" tricks to passing cars in our small Wyoming communities. I say "we", but that's my confession, not Elder Lewis'.

I saw the dermatologist this last week to discuss my excessive hair loss. The Dr. reviewed the blood work, looked at my scalp and itchy back, pulled hard on my hair in several different places, and acknowledged that there was noticeable hair loss. Her diagnosis ......"environmental," which basically means that the change in water, climate, elevation, and food has affected my hair growth cycle. She said that I was not the first North American she had treated for hair loss. According to her, we North Americans are SO white! In Quito, Ecuador with the elevation, sun exposure, hard water, and change in nutrition our delicate skin can take a while to adapt. In the meantime, hair loss is not unusual.

The Dr. prescribed a vitamin, a pill for itchiness, and some topical creams for my scalp and back. I asked her if other North American's had success with this treatment. She waffled a little on that question and told me to come back in 2 weeks and she would see if there was any noticeable change.

When we left the Dr. office, I felt a little encouraged or maybe I should say validated. I'm hopeful that my body will respond to what was prescribed, but truthfully it's a struggle. I'm still feeling weak, and the hair loss continues. Elder Lewis reminds me that its only been 4 days and to be patient!

On Tuesday evening, we went on a second teaching appointment with the missionaries to see Rosa and her daughter. It went well and they were both at Church today. Rosa is really interested in the gospel, but she is reluctant to pursue it without her spouse. Elder Lewis reminded her that her feelings and interest in the gospel are real and that often the Lord impresses one member of the family to be the "pioneer," for the entire family -- past, present, and future. Rosa is the "pioneer" for her family as she searches and accepts gospel teachings. She is setting an example for others to find their way. We are humbled to witness her journey.

Last night, Elder Lewis and I enjoy a lovely dinner at a restaurant that sits on the hill of Panecillo and overlooks Quito. It's a beautiful setting and you do pay for the view. Last night was cloudy, but still impressive.